Nothing's Ever As Perfect As It Seems
by whatwasthatbob
Summary: After the events of 3x11, Michael, Sebastian and Blaine slowly begin to repair their relationship. And when Sebastian tells Blaine about the tape of him admitting it was rock salt in the slushy (something Blaine was never told about before), Blaine realizes that maybe everything's not so perfect between him and Kurt.


Sebastian stood outside the door of Blaine's house, hands fidgeting at his sides as he stared straight ahead. It was a simple enough concept to knock on the door, but Sebastian couldn't bring himself to do it just yet. Instead, his eyes trailed over the cracks in the wood, the small scratches around the edges from wear and tear and the dull shine of the handle.

It had only been a few days since 'the slushy' – as everyone had taken to calling it – but Sebastian felt like his world had been completely turned upside down. He put on a brave face around the Warblers, through Santana telling him Blaine needed surgery and through the revelation that Santana had taped him saying he'd put rock salt in the slushy. Sebastian reached a hand down to his pocket, patting it softly and feeling the small, rectangular outline of the tape that could send him to jail. Sebastian wasn't sure _why _they wouldn't go to the police. He'd assaulted Blaine. and Sebastian knew it was what he deserved. And yet, here he stood, a free man outside of Blaine Anderson's house. The boy he nearly blinded. The boy he assumed told Santana to give Sebastian the tape – the boy who had spared him when there was no reason for him to even give Sebastian a second thought.

Sebastian took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes tightly as he exhaled, before reaching out a tentative hand and knocking three times.

He heard the patting of footsteps, the sound of a lock clicking and then suddenly, Mrs. Anderson was standing in front of him, her somber expression morphing into a soft smile.

"Oh, Sebastian honey. It's good to see you," she murmured, opening the door wider and ushering him in. Sebastian stepped inside after a moment of confusion, slowly realizing that Blaine never told the Andersons _who _had potentially blinded their son.

"Mrs. Anderson," Sebastian nodded politely, gently hugging her when she pulled him into his arms. "Is…can I see Blaine?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Rae?" she scolded gently as their hug ended, a small smile twitching at Sebastian's lips at the familiar reminder.

He'd only met the Andersons a few times when he'd come to Blaine's house. Sebastian had never stayed for longer than thirty minutes, but Rae Anderson had immediately taken a liking to him. Sebastian never understood why, but coming from a home where he had a tense relationship with his family, Sebastian appreciated it, even if he never knew how to show it.

"Go on up, honey," Rae murmured when Sebastian didn't respond, giving him a sad smile. "Blaine was asleep earlier, but I think he'd be happy to see you."

As she walked away, Sebastian felt as though his heart had dropped into his stomach. God, he'd messed everything up so badly, with Blaine, the Warblers, and the Andersons who had never been anything but kind to him. And he'd only been acting like a jerk since – to the Warblers, Santana, all of the New Directions – well, okay, some of them really deserved it in Sebastian's opinion. But not Blaine. Never _Blaine. _Blaine who was good and happy and a ball of energy. Blaine who never shunned Sebastian, even though he had to put up with constantly being hit on. Blaine who was perfect and who didn't deserve to be lying in bed, waiting for eye surgery.

Sebastian shook his head to clear the thoughts running through it, making his way up towards Blaine's room. He knocked a few times and when he heard a soft "Come in," he pushed the door open, biting his lip as he took in Blaine.

Blaine was lying curled up under the blankets, some TV show playing in the background. All he saw was the way Blaine's good eye widened as he took in Sebastian and he felt a pang as he saw hurt reflecting back at him through those amber eyes.

"Sebastian…" Blaine breathed, shaking his head as though he still couldn't believe that's who was standing in front of him.

"Hi, Blaine," Sebastian murmured, stepping a little further into the room. "Can I…I wanted to talk to you."

Sebastian watched Blaine's good eye narrow, but he breathed a sigh a relief when Blaine nodded a second later. Taking the seat next to Blaine's bed, Sebastian crossed his legs and bit his lip as he tried to figure out what to say.

"No biting remark today?"

Sebastian laughed, the sound hollow, at Blaine's remark, shaking his head.

"Not today. No. I actually – I just – I…fuck," Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

Blaine didn't say anything but Sebastian could feel his gaze and knew he was waiting for Sebastian to say something.

"I'm sorry," he whispered after a long moment, his voice barely audible.

"Sebastian Smythe is apologizing?"

Sebastian could hear the surprise in Blaine's voice, looking up to see one of his eyebrows raised as he looked over at him. He couldn't blame Blaine for his doubt; he could hardly remember the last time he'd apologized, but Blaine was different. He couldn't _not _apologize.

"And thank you," he said, his hand curling around the tape in his pants pocket.

Blaine looked at Sebastian, his expression only growing more confused. "Thank you?" he asked. "For what?"

Sebastian shrugged. "You know…" he trailed off, standing up and smoothing down his blazer.

"Just thanks, Blaine. And…hopefully, one day, you can forgive me."

And with that, Sebastian left a confused Blain behind in his bed, too scared to stay for another minute and hear Blaine yell at him or see the hurt flash in those beautiful hazel eyes again.

* * *

They repaired their friendship gradually. Blaine was tentative around Sebastian, and Sebastian knew it, so he didn't try to push. For once in his life, Sebastian backed off and let Blaine dictate the direction of their friendship.

The fact that Blaine even texted him a few times a week was a miracle to Sebastian and he didn't want to ruin it.

* * *

Sebastian ruined it.

He couldn't explain it, even to himself, but he couldn't lose to the fucking New Directions at Regionals. So he'd doctored some photos and blackmailed Rachel and Kurt. It was obvious they were fake anyway, but Sebastian didn't want to lose. So he did something he shouldn't have in a desperate moment.

(And okay, maybe it was funny to see the looks on Rachel and Kurt's faces.)

But Sebastian didn't think about Blaine in all this. Once again, he'd fucked up and forgotten that Blaine was a part of the New Directions, and anything he did was going to affect Blaine.

As he was laying on his bed in Dalton, Sebastian felt his phone vibrate; looking down to see that it was Blaine. A soft smile pulled at the corner of his lips as he pressed answer, quickly bringing the phone up to his ear.

"Hey, Kil-"

"Why did you do it?"

Sebastian froze as Blaine cut him off, something stirring deep in his stomach as he heard the anger in Blaine's voice. And hidden beneath that anger, there was a suffocating amount of disappointment.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Don't fuck with me, Bas. It's been a hard enough week already."

Sebastian frowned, sitting up against the headboard. "What's going on?"

"_What's going on?" _Blaine nearly growled, the sound causing Sebastian to flinch. He'd never heard Blaine sound this angry or upset. "What's going on, _Sebastian, _is that I thought you had changed. Or gotten better at least. But no, it was all a fucking lie wasn't it? I had to find out from Kurt about you trying to _blackmail _Rachel into not performing with doctored photos of Finn. God, I'd already had a bad week, Sebastian. I've been arguing with my dad constantly, and then this happened. And I nearly broke down singing a song for Kurt because of everything and then two hours later, we find out that Dave Karofsky tried to kill himself!"

Sebastian froze, nearly dropping the phone as his body locked and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"W-what?" he asked shakily.

He heard Blaine sigh on the other line and he could practically feel him shaking his head. "Forget it. I doubt you even care. I don't know why I ever gave you another chance," Blaine said before hanging up the phone.

"Why didn't you just give the tape to the police then?" Sebastian whispered, but the line was already dead.

* * *

"I thought the saying was 'It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.'"

Sebastian looked up as he heard Blaine's voice, swallowing thickly. He watched as Blaine took the chair across from him in the Lima Bean, his face hard as he sat down. It had only been moments before that Blaine, Kurt, Santana and Brittany had all been in here when Sebastian apologized, but it looked as though Blaine had stayed behind for some reason.

Slowly, Sebastian lifted his head to look at Blaine, noticing dark hazel staring back at him with one eyebrow raised as though he was waiting for Sebastian to speak.

Sebastian cleared his throat, slowly closing his math book and nodding. "It is. But I didn't think it was…fitting, considering," Sebastian murmured.

Blaine chuckled darkly, shaking his head.

"Who knew," Blaine scoffed, "Sebastian Smythe has some tact."

The words pierced Sebastian and made him feel smaller than he ever had in his life. He sucked in a deep breath, unsure what to say or even where he stood with Blaine now.

There was a long pause. Sebastian kept his gaze downward, staring the knots in the wood of the coffee table. He wondered if this was it for him and Blaine. The end of their story together. At the thought, Sebastian bit his lip, hard; the last thing he ever wanted was to lose Blaine in his life. But maybe it would be for the best. Sebastian had been out of his depth since the moment he met Blaine and if Blaine wasn't in his life, Sebastian could stop _feeling things _and could go out to Scandals or do whatever he wanted without feeling guilty or wondering if he was somehow disappointing Blaine.

"Are you going to say something?"

Sebastian jerked at Blaine's hard voice, looking up at him.

"I don't know what you expect me to say, Blaine."

Blaine scoffed. "How about apologizing?"

"I've already apologized to Dave," Sebastian murmured, crossing his arms. "I called him earlier today."

Sebastian watched as one of Blaine's eyebrows went up, a disbelieving look in his eye but he let that go.

"That wasn't what I was talking about, but I'm glad you talked to him."

Sebastian shrugged, picking at an non-existent piece of lint on his blazer, trying to ignore the warm feeling growing it his stomach at the idea that he'd done something that Blaine approved of.

"So whom am I supposed to be apologizing too then?" Sebastian asked.

"Finn. Kurt. Rachel…all of New Directions maybe?"

Sebastian looked up at Blaine and despite the glare in Blaine's eyes and the hard set of his face, Sebastian started laughing. His eyes crinkled and he looked at Blaine as though he'd said the most ridiculous thing in the world. Covering his mouth, Sebastian tried to bite back the laugh, not wanting to make things worse with Blaine than they already were, but it took some effort to regain his composure.

Across the table, Blaine crossed his arms, looking at Sebastian with a furious glint in his eye. "I fail to see why that is so funny," he spat.

Sebastian smirked, shaking his head. "Oh Blaine, sweet Blaine," Sebastian teased, laughing softly again, "The thing that is so funny is that you think I actually _care." _

"But you just – you just told us about what you and the Warbler's were doing for Dave. You care, Sebastian!" Blaine said, voice adamant.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Blaine…yes I care. About that. I care about Dave. I care about _you. _And in a weird way, I have an appreciation for Santana, which is why when I called her to ask for you, Kurt, her and Brittany to meet here, I also apologized for slushying her when she came to Dalton. But I don't care about any of those rag-tag team members who are diseased and smell of the garbage that is public school. And I _certainly _don't give a flying fuck about your boyfriend. So if you think I'm apologizing for anything else, I really need you to stop thinking that. I'm not you, Blaine. I don't care what anyone else says about me, and I don't care about being nice all the time. If I dislike you, you'll know. And I am _not _going to apologize for being one of the few honest people there are in the world. I don't play pretend, Blaine."

Blaine didn't say anything for a long time; instead he kept his eyes focused on Sebastian, as though he were studying him. Sebastian felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny, but he just drank his coffee – cold by this point.

"Everyone cares what people think about them," was all Blaine said, but his voice had lost the biting anger from before and Sebastian could almost sense some form of understanding.

"I didn't say I don't care what people think of me. I said that I only care about what a select few people think."

And for some reason, one Sebastian would never know, Blaine's face softened and he nodded. And when Blaine grew quiet for a long time again, Sebastian had a feeling Blaine honestly didn't know what to say this time and wasn't just analyzing him before he spoke. Sebastian met his gaze; the dark hazel that was there before had warmed into a beautiful amber and Sebastian could see the understanding on Blaine's face. Blaine might not agree with him, he might still hate him for everything he did, but Sebastian could see that Blaine was finally starting to see under Sebastian's skin.

Sebastian wasn't sure if that should terrify him or not.

"I still think you should apologize," Blaine mumbled, shrugging his shoulders.

A small laugh fell from Sebastian's lips, and he shook his head. He sat there for a moment before sighing; the statement felt like some kind of peace offering, and Sebastian wasn't going to pass that up, not with Blaine.

"Blaine," he whispered, "I'm sorry for hurting you. The picture wasn't my best idea, but I'm not going to apologize to the New Directions for doing what I could to win, even if it wasn't the friendliest. I am who I am. But I am sorry I hurt you. I never wanted to do that."

Sebastian watched as Blaine nodded, even able to see the ghost of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"I'll talk to you later, Sebastian," Blaine said, standing up and walking out of the Lima Bean.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, a soft smile spreading over his face.

* * *

The Warbler's lost at Regional's. Sebastian's not that surprised honestly; the New Directions actually had some talent, even though it pained him to admit that.

He made his way through the school, looking for the New Directions but specifically one person. He was surprised to see him standing in the hallway alone, but certainly not disappointed.

"Congrats, Killer," Sebastian said, leaning against the wall to look at him.

Blaine jerked, as though he'd been lost in his mind, before taking in Sebastian. "Thank you," he whispered.

Sebastian looked at Blaine, frowning when his friend didn't look anything like someone who had just won regionals.

"Everything okay?" Sebastian found himself asking.

"Everything's fine, Sebastian," Blaine spat, crossing his arms.

Sebastian threw his hands up in surrender, stepping forward off the wall a little. "Don't bite my head off, B. I just wanted to make sure."

When he didn't get a response from Blaine, Sebastian sighed and dropped his arms, one hand squeezing Blaine's shoulder. "I'm here - if you ever want to…talk or something." Sebastian said before letting his hand fall away and beginning to walk away.

"Sebastian," Blaine said softly, causing him to pause and turn around, one eyebrow raised for Blaine to continue. "I'm still…I'm still upset with you. But thanks."

Sebastian nodded slowly. "You have my number," he murmured, "If you're ever not upset with me."

* * *

It was two weeks later when Sebastian heard his phone ringing. An eyebrow rose when he saw that it was Blaine calling and he couldn't stop a smirk from breaking out on his lips.

"Couldn't stay away, could you Killer?"

Blaine scoffed on the other side of the line, but Sebastian couldn't detect any malice in it.

"Very funny, Sebastian."

"You know you've miss my snark," Sebastian quipped back, "Why else would you be calling me?"

He heard Blaine laugh softly, but the sound was still wrong. It wasn't as carefree as it normally was, and maybe it was just that Blaine was still upset with him, but Sebastian didn't think that that was it.

"So what's up, B?" Sebastian asked when Blaine didn't say anything for a while.

Blaine sighed and Sebastian heard the tell-tale sign of Blaine flopping down onto his bed.

"My brother's in town."

"I didn't know you had a brother."

"Not many people do. He's not exactly someone that I like to talk about."

"Ahh," Sebastian murmured, nodding his head a little. "Not someone you're particularly fond of then, huh?"

"Cooper's not…he's not a bad guy," Blaine sighed, "it's just…okay, you know those really annoying credit commercials?"

Sebastian had to think for a moment. "You mean the ones with that stupid jingle?"

And to Sebastian's surprise, Blaine started laughing…hard.

"B, I don't think it's that funny," he mumbled, but Blaine kept laughing anyway. Sebastian didn't say anything else after that, letting Blaine calm down.

"It's funny because that's my brother," Blaine finally managed to say

"Oh," Sebastian breathed, rolling his eyes a little. "I'm so sorry for you then."

Sebastian could feel Blaine's smile through the phone, and he would be lying if he said that it didn't make him feel warm.

"You're the first person not to be star-struck by him," Blaine whispered, and Sebastian could hear the sadness creeping back into his voice. "Cooper's a good guy, he is. He was there for me when I needed him, but he's really…he's really let the whole fame thing go to his head and I don't know how to talk to him anymore. Everyone at school's obsessed with him and Kurt…god, Kurt doesn't even _realize _that something's wrong. He just moons over Cooper like he's some fucking perfect human and he called him the 'best-looking man in North America.' Who says that in front of their boyfriend? It's like Kurt doesn't even care about how I feel!"

Sebastian could hear Blaine panting, knowing that that rant had taken a lot out of him. He waited for a few moments, processing everything he had said while letting Blaine calm down.

"Hummel's an asshole," Sebastian said simply, blatant hatred in his voice.

"No, he's not," Blaine protested weakly.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. He wondered if Blaine would ever stop defending Kurt when Kurt didn't deserve it.

"Yes, he is. If you were my boyfriend, I'd never say something like that," Sebastian said, voice matter-of-fact and leaving no room for argument. "Besides, Hummel wasn't even right. You are ten times hotter than you're brother."

Blaine didn't say anything for a moment and Sebastian was worried that maybe he crossed the line.

"Thank you."

Sebastian smirked. Maybe the line wasn't as close as he thought.

* * *

After that phone call, Sebastian found himself texting Blaine again. And surprisingly, Blaine would always respond. Some things were still a little shaky, but they were improving.

* * *

_The guys at this school are so lame. –S_

_Someone's changing their tune. I thought you liked private schools? –B_

_Of course I do. Public schools are disgusting. Doesn't mean the guys here are any better. –S_

_Public school isn't that bad, Sebastian. –B_

_Who did you even make out with when you went here? –S_

_I…well, no one actually, before Kurt. –B_

_Seriously, Blaine? No wonder you think he's a good kisser. No proper experience. –S_

_Sebastian! Can you please not? –B_

_Fine, fine. Entertain me then. –S_

_It's Disco week in Glee! __ -B_

_Let me guess…you like disco? –S_

_Disco's amazing, Seb; I love it. –B_

_You are so lame. –S_

_I am not! –B_

_Yes you are. But it's cute. –S_

_Turning soft on me, Smythe? –B_

_I'm never soft around you, Blaine. –S_

_Seb…. –B_

_Just being honest, B. –S_

* * *

The one thing Sebastian didn't expect was a knock on his door a few weeks later and for Blaine to be on the other side of that door, eyes red-rimmed and head down. Sebastian took one look at Blaine before he immediately pulled him into the room and into his arms, letting the door fall shut behind him.

"What happened?" he asked, voice softer than it had ever been.

But Blaine just shook his head and wrapped his arms around Sebastian's waist tight. Sebastian carded a hand through Blaine's loose curls, and if that wasn't a sign something was wrong Sebastian didn't know what was, and held him close. He felt Blaine's arms wrap tight around his stomach and his chest grew damp as Blaine's tears pierced through his button-down.

"I've got you," Sebastian promised, pulling Blaine over to the bed and laying down with him, letting Blaine curl up against his chest and cry for as long as he needed to.

Sebastian rubbed soft circles into Blaine's back as he held him. He didn't say anything as they laid there, his shirt growing wetter as each minute passed. Sebastian didn't know what to do. He'd never been in this kind of situation, and he'd never been willing to let someone seek comfort from him when they were crying. No one had ever really wanted to anyway. But this was _Blaine. _And even though all of Sebastian's instincts were telling him to push Blaine away because Sebastian Smythe is not someone you come crying to, Sebastian shot them all down. Because he could never do that to Blaine.

It took a while for Blaine to stop crying and the whole time Sebastian was still confused; he had no idea what had happened or why Blaine had chosen to come to him of all people.

Blaine sniffled, hiding his face in Sebastian's chest.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, voice scratchy.

"Don't be," Sebastian whispered, carding his hand through Blaine's curls again and scratching lightly at his scalp. "What happened, B?"

Blaine sniffled, arms tightening around Sebastian as though he was afraid he might disappear. "Kurt cheated on me," he breathed, voice barely above a whisper.

Sebastian saw red. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to find Hummel and choke him for hurting Blaine. Blaine, who was perfect and beautiful and just…just plain _good. _The last thing he ever deserved was for some gay-face to cheat on him.

But Sebastian didn't move, knowing that Blaine needed him at that moment, and that overrode his desire to kill Kurt. So he held him close until he was ready to talk again.

"It was with some guy named Chandler," Blaine murmured after a few minutes, sniffling quietly. "He said he met him at Between The Sheets. And…and I was over his house yesterday and his phone kept beeping and there were all these text messages from him and…they weren't family friendly, Bas! It's one thing for Chandler to flirt with Kurt, Kurt can't control that, but Kurt, Kurt was reciprocating! How can he do that? And then…then he t-tried to blame me…"

"Blame _you?" _Sebastian asked, voice surprised as his eyebrows shot up. "That's a load of bullshit. No one made him cheat."

"He called me an 'alpha-gay' and talked about how he used to get solo's every week. And…and then he brought up this time I kissed Rachel. But we weren't even together back then and it was a freaking game of spin the bottle! Brittany and Sam kissed while Sam was dating Santana, but no one made a big deal out of it. It's like Kurt's just throwing something in my face that has nothing to do with what is going on now and something he has no right to be upset about! I don't think he even cares!" Blaine exclaimed, breathing harshly against Sebastian's chest as his hands curled tightly around his shirt.

That was the second time Sebastian had heard Blaine say that in the past few weeks, and he had a feeling it wasn't going to be the last time.

"I care, Blaine," Sebastian promised, wrapping his arms around him tighter. It scared him, admitting that out loud not to just himself but Blaine too, but he didn't freak out, and something about Blaine made him comfortable saying it.

"You do?" Blaine asked, voice soft and childlike. Sebastian wanted to kill Hummel for every making Blaine feel as thought his feelings were unimportant, as though _he _were unimportant.

"Yes, Blaine. I care," Sebastian assured, "And none of what happened was your fault. You didn't make him cheat. If he was jealous or having problems or whatever, he should have talked to you. He made the choice to cheat."

"I was pulling away though," Blaine said, biting his lip, and Sebastian could tell that Blaine was trying to take some of the blame off of Kurt and put him on himself when it wasn't deserved. "I was trying…trying to get used to not having him around, so I didn't go to Between The Sheets with him."

"Okay…You do realize that you don't have to be the perfect boyfriend every second of every day right?" Sebastian whispered, shaking his head, because he doubted Blaine believed that and it seemed as though Hummel only cared as long as Blaine was treating him like a princess. Fucking bullshit. "And did he ever try to talk to you about it? Even once?"

"N-no."

"And that's what makes it even worse Blaine, and completely his fault. He didn't even _try _to talk to you about it, and I'm sure if he did, you would've listened. You've done nothing wrong."

Blaine didn't answer, but Sebastian knew that Blaine knew that he was right.

They didn't say much for the rest of the night. At one point, Sebastian put on a movie, but they were both lost in their own worlds and barely paid attention. And when curfew came, Sebastian reluctantly let Blaine go home.

And for some reason, he felt as though Blaine was just as reluctant to go.

* * *

_Kurt and I went to talk to Miss Pillsbury today. –B_

_Who? –S_

_Our school guidance counselor. –B_

_Ahh. Why'd you do that? –S_

_Kurt…he sang to me in Glee yesterday and mentioned wanting to talk to her. So we did. –B_

_And let me guess, you're back together. –S_

_We were never broken up, Sebastian. –B_

_Whatever, Blaine. I can't believe you. –S_

_Seb, please. I love him. –B_

_So that makes it okay for him to cheat? You'll forgive just because you love him. –S_

_I…no. He apologized. –B_

_Oh really? What'd he say? –S_

_He said the song he sang me was to express his regret. –B_

_Wow. –S_

_Seb, please don't be like this. –B_

_Fine. If you want to waste your time and end up getting hurt again in the future, fine. –S_

_Kurt loves me, Sebastian! –B_

_Sure he does. –S_

_He does! –B_

_Maybe so. But does he care about you? Or is what he loves simply having a boyfriend and someone to be at his beck and call? –S_

_He cares about me… -B_

_Doesn't sound like it. You even said he doesn't yourself. –S_

_I was upset! –B_

_Yeah. That's when people tend to be most honest. –S_

_[no response]_

* * *

From that point on, they avoided talking about Blaine's relationship with Kurt.

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" Sebastian asked a few months later, sighing as he collapsed in his desk chair.

They'd managed to keep their friendship going, even if there were a few moments of awkwardness. But Sebastian texted Blaine or called him, sometimes vice versa, and they talked. Sebastian found himself opening up to Blaine, not completely, but he told him more than he'd ever told someone before.

Before they knew it, nationals had come and gone – with New Directions winning of course – and graduation was slowly creeping up on them. Blaine had come over to Dalton at the request of the senior Warbler's who wanted to say goodbye to him, and they all apologized one more time for the slushy – as they did every time Blaine was there. Sebastian had a feeling they all already knew Blaine had forgiven them.

But as Sebastian pulled Blaine away to his dorm to talk, he found the subject creeping back up on him. There was still something that bothered him about it all, and he needed Blaine to explain.

"Sure, Seb," Blaine smiled, sitting up on the bed to face him.

Sebastian took a deep breath and bit his lip, opening his bottom desk drawer to pull out a small tape.

"Why did you give this to me?" he asked, holding it up for Blaine to see.

Blaine's eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head. "Give you what?"

"This!" Sebastian exclaimed, holding the tape out further. "The tape of me admitting what was in the slushy. Why did you give it to me?"

Blaine's eyes widened and Sebastian thought he was finally going to get his answer, but Blaine just looked at him, mouth opening and closing as though he were a fish.

"What are you talking about?" Blaine whispered in confusion.

Sebastian sighed, getting out a tape player and plugging the tape in, playing it for Blaine.

"_What did you put in that slushy?"_

"_Rock salt. But it's okay."_

"_How is it okay? I just told you Blaine needed to have surgery."_

"_It's okay because I didn't put any in this one."_

Blaine stared at the tape player in horror, and Sebastian couldn't stop the gnawing feeling in his stomach that somewhere, he'd taken a completely wrong turn.

"Was that Santana?"

Sebastian looked at Blaine in confusion. "Yeah…"

"Where did you get the tape?"

Blaine's voice was scarily detached, but Sebastian answered anyway, not sure what was going on.

"Kurt threw it at me when the Warbler's went to Dalton and sang _Black or White. _Well, technically Santana had it first and said she could take it to the cops or the Headmaster, but Kurt threw it to me and said me not being at Regional's would take away the joy of beating us or something. I don't remember," Sebastian shrugged, "But it's not like they would've given it to me if you hadn't said it was okay, so I was just always wondering, why did you do that? There was no reason for you to, not after what I'd just done."

Blaine was silent for a long time, his eyes fixated on the tape in Sebastian's hands.

"I didn't. I never knew about it," Blaine breathed, his voice hard and his eyes narrowed.

Sebastian stared at Blaine. "What?"

"No one told me about it. No one asked what I wanted to do." Blaine stood up, snatching the tape out of Sebastian's hands and storming out the door.

"Blaine, wait!" Sebastian yelled, but Blaine was already gone.

* * *

Two days.

It was two days of silence for Sebastian. He'd texted and called Blaine, but no answer. Once he'd called the Anderson house and Rae had answered, her voice sympathetic, but she told him Blaine wasn't up to talking at the moment.

Two days of Sebastian waiting for the Headmaster or police to come.

But they never did. Instead, the next time there was a knock on his door, Sebastian found himself face to face with none other than Blaine.

"I broke up with Kurt," were the first words out of his mouth. Sebastian ushered him into the room, sitting down next to him on the bed.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

Blaine scoffed, "I was furious when you told me about the tape…"

_Blaine was seeing red as he walked away from Sebastian's dorm room. There had been a fucking tape and no one had ever bothered to tell him about it? He'd spent months angry at everyone for nothing ever being done, just like when he'd been beaten up at Sadie Hawkins, and now he finds out the reason nothing ever happened was because of Kurt._

_His boyfriend._

_Someone who was supposed to love him._

_Someone who was supposed to care about him._

_He drove away from Dalton in an angry haze, his mind running through everything as he realized that this wasn't the first time Kurt put his selfish wants above Blaine's feelings and it hadn't been the last either._

_God, how had Blaine been so blind to it all?_

_Without realizing it, Blaine found himself parked outside of Kurt's house. Burt and Carole weren't home and neither was Finn; he'd originally promised Kurt that he'd come over that night after he went to Dalton. _

_And Blaine was keeping his promise. Just not in the way either of them expected._

_Blaine walked up to the front door, the tape clenched in one hand as he used the other to pound on the door. Anger coursed through his veins and he tried to rein it in a little._

"_Hi, sweetheart," Kurt said as he opened the door, the smile on his face quickly morphing into a frown as his eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Blaine? Baby, what's wrong?"_

_Blaine shook his head and didn't say anything as he walked inside. He heard Kurt close the door behind him as he walked into the living room and he felt Kurt's gaze when he followed him into the living room._

"…_Blaine?" Kurt asked after a few moments of silence. And maybe it was the concern he heard in Kurt's voice, but suddenly, Blaine couldn't stay quiet any longer._

_Blaine walked over to the Hummel's tape player, shoving the tape in and hitting play. He watched Kurt's face as the tape started. He saw confusion morph into shock and then understanding and then worry and then sadness and a whole other array of emotions._

"_Blaine…" Kurt whispered, stepping closer as the tape ended but he was stopped when Blaine put his hand up._

"_Why didn't you tell me about this?" Blaine spat, voice cold and unforgiving. Kurt flinched back at the sound, but Blaine didn't back down._

"_Blaine, baby, you were so fragile. You were having surgery and nightmares and I just…I didn't want to upset you even further."_

_Blaine shook his head. "Bullshit, Kurt. Fucking bullshit. How many times did you listen to me rant about the fact that nothing ever happened after I was slushied?"_

"_I…"_

"_How many times Kurt?!" Blaine yelled when Kurt didn't answer._

_Kurt swallowed, and when he spoke, he sounded smaller than Blaine ever heard him before. "I don't know."_

"_You know, I don't know the exact count either, but I can tell you it was a lot. Fuck, Kurt. I cried on your shoulder about it! When I was high on the medication after my surgery I told you it felt like no one cared. Like it was Sadie Hawkins all over again and you just fucking sat there! You knew about the tape at that point and you'd already given it back to Sebastian! You fucking hid that from me. How _dare _you!"_

"_Blaine…I'm sorry – "_

"_You're _sorry?" _Blaine scoffed, interrupting Kurt. He didn't even bother feeling bad for Kurt when he saw the tears in his eyes. Kurt had no right to cry. He did this to himself. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn't. All you care about is yourself, Kurt. You never even think about how I'm going to feel."_

"_That's not true!" Kurt yelled, stepping closer to Blaine. "I love you. I always care about your feelings."_

"_Just like you cared when I told you about Sadie Hawkins, hmm?" Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow as he glared at Kurt. "I seem to remember you saying 'this is perfect' after I told you what happened. Why is me getting beaten up so perfect Kurt? Because let me tell you, nothing about that night is perfect. But you just wanted to twist the situation around for yourself."_

"_B-blaine…" Kurt stuttered, "Baby, no."_

"_Don't call me that," Blaine spat. "Don't you dare. Everything is about you Kurt. You wanted me to transfer to McKinley. Why? For you. And I did it, because I loved you. But did you ever even think about what it meant for me? Leaving behind my safety net and this group of guys who had helped me through everything? No. Did you care about me when my brother came to town? No. It was all about you and your stupid crush because what, he sang some idiot jingle for a thirty second commercial and was 'the hottest guy in all of North America?' Do you remember saying that _right in front of your boyfriend? _Because I do. Or how about Chandler? Hmm? Blaming everything that happened on me and acting like I was an idiot or somehow wrong for being upset. And now I find out about this…this tape! This tape that you kept hidden from me and never breathed a word of! I never even knew what Sebastian put in the slushy before now!"_

_Blaine was panting by the time he finished his rant, breathing in deeply and his hands were clenched into fists at his side. He'd never felt so furious before in his life. And he'd never felt so proud of himself before in his life. Because he was finally standing up for himself, and it felt fucking amazing._

"_We're done," Blaine whispered after a few moments._

"_No. No, Blaine. We…we can't be," Kurt said quickly, taking a step towards Blaine but Blaine just backed away. "Baby, please. Let's just…let's talk about this. I love you, Blaine. And I know you love me."_

"_I do love you, Kurt," Blaine breathed, the anger slowly dimming and leaving a cold sadness in its place. "But I can't do this anymore. I can't be with someone who only cares about themselves."_

"_I love you," Kurt whispered as though it would fix everything, tears in his eyes._

"_I know you do. But it's not enough. I've ignored everything for too long and finding out about this tape was the final straw."_

"_Blaine, please. We can…we can talk about this when we're not so emotional. I don't want to lose you," Kurt begged._

_But Blaine shook his head, his mind and heart made up. It didn't hurt like he thought it would, losing Kurt, but maybe that's because it had yet to fully settle with him. _

"_You should have thought about that before you hid the tape from me, simply because you wanted to beat Sebastian at Regional's. Who does that?"_

_Kurt didn't say anything for a while and Blaine didn't stick around to hear him answer._

"…and that's what happened," Blaine finished, taking a deep breath as he looked over at Sebastian.

Sebastian listened to Blaine's story intently and he felt a surge of pride for Blaine and the way he stood up for himself. But he could sense Blaine's sadness too, and he knew that whatever his feelings may be and however much he hated Kurt and his relationship with Blaine, the last thing Blaine needed was for him to go on a rant.

So instead, he simply held his arms out and let Blaine bury his face in his chest, silent tears soaking his shirt.

* * *

They didn't talk about it for a while.

Sebastian never asked and Blaine never brought it up.

Even on nights when Blaine came to Dalton to lay with Sebastian and watch a movie that neither of them pay attention to, they still didn't talk about it.

* * *

_Do you think I did the right thing? –B_

_When? –S_

_When I broke up with Kurt. –B_

_Yes. Are you second guessing yourself? –S_

_No…I…no. It's just weird, not having him around anymore. –B_

_Do you want to talk about it now? –S_

_No. –B_

_Then why bring it up? –S_

_Because…I just want to know that you'll be there if I ever do want to talk about it. –B_

* * *

In the middle of July, two months after Kurt and Blaine have broken up, they talked about it.

"Sometimes I miss him," Blaine whispered as they lay outside in his backyard, "But then I realize it's not him I miss. I miss having someone that's mine, someone who's always there for me."

Sebastian reached over and took Blaine's hand in his own, lacing their fingers together.

"I'll always be here for you," he whispered.

A smile danced at the edges of Blaine's lips and Sebastian felt his heart race.

"Can I ask why you didn't do anything with the tape once I told you about it?" Sebastian asked.

They were sitting in Blaine's bedroom, having just finished up dinner with Blaine's parents. Sebastian's not quite sure why the question popped into his mind at that moment, but it was something he realized he desperately needed an answer to.

"Because I'd forgiven you already," Blaine said simply.

* * *

Things changed slowly over that summer for Sebastian.

He stopped going to Scandals on the weekends, instead choosing to hang out with Blaine. And when Blaine had a night out with the Warblers, he always dragged Sebastian along with him.

Slowly, Sebastian found himself actually making friends with the boys that he'd been surrounded by for a year.

And if he noticed Jeff and Nick whispering in a corner and pointing to him and Blaine, he didn't say anything about it.

* * *

Move in day for senior year at Dalton was a bad day for Sebastian. He was pissed off at school starting up again and the fact that he hadn't gotten a single dorm, something he'd requested at the end of last year.

Blaine also hadn't spoken to him in a few days, but Sebastian refused to acknowledge that that might have been one of the reasons he was upset.

Sebastian was haphazardly throwing his stuff around the dorm when there was a knock on the door. He turned around to see Blaine standing in the doorway, a navy blue blazer slung over his shoulder and a few bags around his feet. There was a smirk on Blaine's face that Sebastian hadn't seen before and when Blaine didn't say anything, Sebastian raised an eyebrow, silently asking Blaine what he was doing there.

"Sorry I haven't talked to you in a few days, but I wanted to surprise you," Blaine said.

"Oh really? And what's the surprise?"

Blaine smiled and walked further into the room, sitting down on the open bed across from Sebastian.

"I'm your new roommate."

* * *

Having Blaine at Dalton was even better than Sebastian had imagined the year before. He was amazing in the Warblers (Sebastian didn't even mind being a co-captain with him or sharing solos) and he made Sebastian's life there better in general.

Sebastian had friends because of Blaine.

He started opening up because of Blaine.

He enjoyed going back to his room and didn't feel the need to escape to Scandals everyday because of Blaine.

And it didn't hurt that Blaine's ass looked amazing in that Dalton uniform either.

* * *

"Why did you transfer again?" Sebastian asked one day when they were laying around in their dorm.

"Hmm?" Blaine asked as he looked up from his book.

Sebastian rolled over on to his side so he was facing Blaine's bed across the room. "Why did you transfer back to Dalton?"

"McKinley wasn't the right place for me. I only transferred there in the first place to be with Kurt, and it just…it never felt right there. I didn't have friends there really. There was Mike and Tina and Sam, and I still talk to them and hang out with them when I can, but they weren't…they weren't like the Warblers. They weren't my family," Blaine murmured, a soft smile on his face.

Sebastian nodded. "I'm glad you came back."

"Me too, Seb," Blaine whispered. "It's nice to be home."

* * *

"When are you going to ask Blaine out?"

Sebastian looked up from where he was studying in the library, raising an eyebrow as he saw Jeff and Nick staring back at him.

"…What are you two talking about?"

Jeff sighed and the two of them sat down, looking at Sebastian as though he were some giant disappointment.

"Blaine. You. Date." Jeff began, a smile creeping over his face. "When is it going to happen?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sebastian said, but there was no conviction in his voice and he didn't even believe himself.

"Oh come on, Sebastian," Nick chimed in. "It's November already and you two are dancing around each other and making heart eyes. Not to mention sectionals when you two did that duet and wouldn't stop staring at each other on stage. It's clear you like him. And Blaine walks around with his heart on his sleeve, so why haven't you two idiots gotten together yet?"

"I think I'd like to know the answer to that myself."

Sebastian looked behind him, eyes wide as he saw Blaine standing a few feet away. Jeff and Nick snickered before sliding out of their chairs and walking out of the library, leaving Blaine and Sebastian alone.

Blaine walked over to the table and sat down across from Blaine, a nervous smile on his face that somehow made Sebastian feel a little better.

"You really want me to ask you out?" Sebastian asked after a minute of silence.

Blaine shrugged and bit his lip, playing with his nails as he avoided looking at Sebastian. "I wouldn't say no if you did," he whispered. "I…I like you, Seb. I have for a while now and I just…I didn't know how to say anything. I was still getting over Kurt and coming to terms with everything, and then suddenly my feelings for you were starting to emerge, and it's not like living with you has helped. I mean, have you _seen _yourself?"

Sebastian smirked and watched as Blaine's familiar blush crept up the back of his neck and over his face, coloring his cheeks a delicious shade of red.

"Are you trying to tell me you watch me when I come out of the shower or am changing or sleeping in just a pair of shorts?"

"No!" Blaine said too quickly and Sebastian knew he was lying. He stared at Blaine, a devious glint in his eyes. "Okay…maybe I do. But only sometimes."

Sebastian hummed in the back of his throat.

"So you want to go out with me?"

"Yes, Seb," Blaine breathed, his cheeks only growing darker the longer they sat there. "Can you please just…tell me whether or not you want to go out with me too? Because I feel like I'm in the middle of the ocean without a life vest here."

"Come with me," Sebastian murmured.

He quickly packed up his books and stood, holding his hand out for Blaine. When he felt Blaine's fingers laced with his own, Sebastian smiled and squeezed Blaine's hand before leading them out of the library and back to their dorm room. Once they were inside Sebastian dropped his bag on his bed and took Blaine's off his back. He stepped closer to Blaine, smirking a little as he did so.

"Blaine Anderson," he whispered, cupping Blaine's cheeks once he was close enough, smoothing his thumb over the heated skin there. "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Sebastian watched as Blaine's eyes widened, a smile breaking out on his face, and he nodded quickly. And before Sebastian could say another word, he had his arms full and a mouth attached to his own.

Sebastian kissed Blaine back without a second thought. He wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist to pull their bodies flush together, eyes closing as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He took his time, tracing along Blaine's bottom lip and into his mouth, tasting Blaine and feeling him close.

They broke away a few minutes later and Sebastian rested their foreheads together, watching as a bright smile spread across Blaine's lips, his eyes shining with happiness.

"I never thought you'd ask me that," Blaine breathed against Sebastian, their bodies still wrapped around each other.

"I never thought I would either," Sebastian admitted, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before looking at Blaine again. "But I guess that's what you do when you fall in love with someone. You'll do anything for them."

Blaine's eyes widened and he froze in Sebastian's arms. Sebastian bit his lip, worrying that he might have just crossed the line. He opened his mouth to apologize or take it back, tell Blaine he didn't have to say it or just _something, _but before he could say anything, Blaine was kissing him again and everything else melted away.

"I love you, too," Blaine whispered against Sebastian's lips.

They're bodies melted together and they didn't say much else for the rest of the night, too busy exploring something they'd both been denying themselves for far too long.


End file.
